Colors of the Sun
by Mossy Tree
Summary: Kakashi ends up having to take care of Iruka, who has somehow turned himself into a petulant toddler. Eventual slash.
1. November

**A/N:** _I haven't written fanfics in years, but I was inspired. This is set just after Orochimaru attacks the village. As for any mistakes in tone/character portrayal, I've only watched 3 1/2 seasons so far...so sorry about that._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Kakashi peered blearily out his window. The sun fell in rays across his face. A strange sight for a November day.

He stood up and pulled the heavy curtains shut. Darkness filled the small room he inhabited. On second thought, he opened the curtains a crack, a sliver of sunlight illuminating the wooden table in the center of the room.

He yawned. Since the attack on the village, he had gone on so many missions sleep had become a word foreign to him. He looked inside his fridge. Barren with the exception of a singular grapefruit and half a liter of expired milk. He sighed, rubbed his temples in exasperation and settled for the grapefruit. After he finished, his stomach growled loudly, grumbling about the insufficient meal.

 _'I'll have to go shopping today,'_ Kakashi thought.

He rose from his seat and headed toward the bathroom. In the shower, the hot water ran down his back and his stress evaporated with the steam. He closed his eyes and relished in the comfort of a warm shower for a moment before shutting the water off. He slipped a downy towel around his waist and used another to dry his hair. In the mirror, Kakashi stared into the eyes of his reflection. The bags under both his eyes were deeper. He could see the weariness in his right eye. In his left eye, his Sharingan burned relentlessly. Kakashi let his headband drop over the Sharingan and pulled up his mask. Not even that could hide his exhaustion.

Kakashi's stomach voiced its irritation and he knew it was time to head into the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The door of his dwelling clicked shut behind him. He walked out into the uncommonly sunny November day. Despite the sun, the crisp coldness of Fall nipped at Kakashi's skin. He strolled casually into the village, absorbed in the newest Icha Icha book.

"Kakashi-san," a voice called from behind him.

His eyes narrowed and he did not look away from his book.

"Tsunade-sama," he answered.

"It's an emergency. Please follow me," Tsunade replied.

Kakashi's eyes widened an imperceptible amount.

 _'Please don't be Naruto…or Sasuke…or Sakura…'_ he thought.

He followed Tsunade to the headquarters of the Hokage. The place was packed with ANBU Black Ops.

And in the center of it all stood a child no older than three with the same bright eyes and joyous smile as Umino Iruka.

Kakashi struggled to hide his shock, while Tsunade studied his reaction.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked, happy he had managed to keep his tone of voice neutral.

"We don't know yet. Guy found him in his classroom like this. It looks like he was practicing a Jutsu that went wrong but we can't know that for sure," Tsunade admitted.

"I see. And you called me here for what reason?" Kakashi inquired.


	2. When the Bough Breaks

****A/N:** **_Chapter 2! Enjoy._

* * *

He wished he had not asked. Suddenly, all eyes in the room were on him and though his mask hid it, he could feel his cheeks start to burn up.

"Well," Tsunade began, "We need someone to take care of him—"

"I—" Kakashi interrupted, but Tsunade shot him a glare that stopped him mid-word.

"—and we believe that since you understand what he has gone through…in terms of loss," she said the last four words in a guarded tone, "…you would be the best candidate for this important job."

Tsunade narrowed her eyebrows at Kakashi and he knew that "no" was not an answer she would accept. Before he could begin to argue, a little voice piped up.

"You must be old 'cause you have grey hair!" said Iruka.

Kakashi froze. Tsunade smiled.

"Iruka-kun, this is Kakashi-san. He's going to look after you for a while," Tsunade said sweetly.

"Where are my mommy and daddy?" Iruka asked through his thumb in his mouth.

Tsunade's brows furrowed.

"They're on a mission, but they'll be back soon!"

"Oh okay. So until then, I'm going to stay with this old man?"

"Yep!" Tsunade smiled, shooting Kakashi sideways glance.

 _'I see,'_ he thought, ' _that's what they're going to tell him about his parents…'_

Before Kakashi could finish his thoughts, an eager, little hand grabbed his and dragged him out the door. Kakashi looked behind him over his shoulder at Tsunade, who wore a smirk on her face.

Kakashi sighed and let himself be dragged out the building by the young Iruka.

"I can't wait to play with you even though you're old. Hey, why do you wear a mask anyway? Is it to hide all your wrinkles? It makes you look kinda scary, but I don't think you're scary. C'mon, let's go play already," Iruka tugged at Kakashi's hand.

Kakashi could feel a headache brewing. He knelt down to Iruka's level and spoke softly.

"My name is Kakashi and I expect you to call me that. Don't call me old again. Understood?!"

Iruka's eyes widened in fear and he nodded.

"Yes, Kakashi-san!"

"Good," said Kakashi and his eyes closed to show that he was smiling underneath his mask, "we're going shopping now"

Iruka wore a slight pout on his slips.

"But…I don't wanna go shopping!" His bottom lip wobbled a bit and a few crocodile tears brewed up in his eyes.

Kakashi thought quickly to console Iruka.

 _'Adult Iruka likes sweets,'_ he thought.

"You can pick out sweets," he said.

Iruka crossed his arms and continued to pout.

"And a toy," Kakashi continued.

At this Iruka wavered a bit, but he still held his pout.

"Two toys!"

"Fine. Two toys. Let's go," said Kakashi as he pulled Iruka with him to the store.

Within five minutes, Iruka had piled the cart to the tipping point with sweets. Kakashi sighed, but he did not argue with the boy. Iruka also picked out his two toys. A stuffed dolphin and a Shinobi action figure. Kakashi and Iruka walked to the checkout together. The total price made Kakashi's eyes bulge, but he did not hesitate to pay the bill, lest Iruka decide to throw a temper tantrum.

At the house, Kakashi began to unload all the groceries. His once empty fridge was filled to the brim with sweets. Iruka was already on his third piece of taffy and drinking a sugary juice drink.

"Hey! Don't eat too many sweets. You'll get a stomach ache!" Kakashi barked.

Iruka chose to ignore this. Kakashi got up and took the sweets away. Iruka stared at him with tears welling up in his eyes. Kakashi felt his stomach flip. Something about the stare Iruka gave him made his heart falter.

"Let's get some ramen from Ichiraku Ramen!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"Yay! Thank you, Kakashi-san!" Iruka cheered.

Iruka devoured his ramen while Kakashi observed silently. The warm November day had faded into a vibrant sunset. The air was chillier and Kakashi could feel that Iruka's hand was cold as they strolled down the cobblestone path.

At Kakashi's place, Kakashi ran some warm water into a bath. Kakashi helped the toddler into the bathtub. He realized he had no pajamas for the boy, but he saw a package out of the corner of his eye. He grabbed it.

 _'To help you out…signed Hokage Tsunade'_

Kakashi closed his eyes and silently thanked Tsunade. The package had extra clothes, toiletries, and most importantly a fleecy pair of pajamas with a turtle design all over them. Kakashi had to admit that the pajamas were pretty cute. He dried Iruka off and put the pajamas on him.

The sight was almost too much for Kakashi to handle, as he imagined the adult Iruka in the same outfit. A smile flickered around his lips.

"Alright," said Kakashi, "brush your teeth and then I'll show you where your bedroom is."

Iruka followed Kakashi down the hallway into a small bedroom. He held his plush dolphin in one hand and reached for Kakashi's hand with his other hand.

"Kakashi-san…it dark in here" he said in a timid voice.

"I'll leave the light in the hallway on…" Kakashi said.

"Will you stay with me?" Iruka asked softly. He looked up at Kakashi with earnest eyes.

"Okay," Kakashi sighed. He sat on the side of Iruka's bed, still holding Iruka's small hand.

Iruka cuddled up in the covers and squeezed Kakashi's hand. Several minutes passed.

"Kakashi-san…will you sing me song?" Iruka asked. His eyes glowed like orbs in the darkness, reflecting only the light in the hallway.

Kakashi felt like the floor beneath him was falling. He remembered his own dad's soft singing when he was a child.

"No," said Kakashi.

"Please Kakashi-san?"

"No. Go to bed."

The door creaked as Kakashi pulled it shut, leaving it open just a crack.

In the bathroom, Kakashi splashed his face with water. Memories flashed beneath his eyelids. Kakashi's own father. Running his fingers through his hair. A pat on the back. A smile. A crinkle where smile lines marked his father's eyes.

Rainy nights when he couldn't sleep. When the thunder cracked overhead like gunshots. His hands trembling as he pulled the covers up like a shield. Hot tears in his eyes.

The door opened. He wiped the tears away quickly, but his father was not fooled. He sat on the side of Kakashi's bed, making a dip in the mattress. Kakashi looked at him in bewilderment. His father placed his hand on Kakashi's forehead. Lightning flashed followed by the low rolling of thunder. Kakashi winced.

"Shhh," his father said, stroking Kakashi's silvery hair.

In a deep voice, he sang.

 _"Rock a bye baby in the treetop…"_

Another flash of lightning.

 _"When the wind blows the cradle will rock…"_

The roar of the thunder.

 _"When the bough breaks the cradle will fall…"_

Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut.

 _"And down will come baby, cradle and all…"_

Kakashi looked at his eyes in the mirror. He was tired. Exhausted. He thought about the loss of his father. Pins danced in his chest, stabbing at his heart. He had been so numb for so long after so many losses, so why the sudden heartache?

Kakashi knew why.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Grammatical inaccuracies in Iruka's speech are intentional. I don't really like incorporating too much "toddler talk" into stories, but he can't be perfectly articulate. Thanks for reading._


	3. Underneath the Underneath

**A/N** : _Chapter 3! Working on the next chapters. Would love some input if you have any to give! Enjoy!_

* * *

It was dark, but Kakashi felt something shaking his shoulder. He tried to brush it off, but it became more vigorous.

"K-Kakashi-san…" Iruka whimpered.

"Huh?" Kakashi groaned. It was too early in the morning.

"I-I-I…" Iruka stammered.

"Hmm?" Kakashi grunted and rolled over. He blinked and his eyes began to open.

"I-I had an acc…accident," Iruka sniffled.

That woke Kakashi up instantly.

"What?!" Kakashi exclaimed before he could control himself.

Iruka stared back at him with tears in his eyes.

"I mean…" Kakashi hesitated, "That's okay…."

Kakashi did not know what to say. He had never dealt with anything like this before. Children were not his area of expertise it turned out. He took Iruka to the bath and peeled off the soiled clothes. He put them in his laundry basket. Iruka sank into the warm, soapy water.

"Alright…get yourself dried off and go play for a while," Kakashi instructed Iruka.

"Okay Kakashi-san," Iruka said shyly.

Kakashi went to Iruka's bedroom to clean up the bed. He looked at his spare mattress and groaned. Iruka would pay for this once he was back to normal!

* * *

"Iruka...let's have breakfast!"

As they ate their cereal, Iruka stared inquisitively at Kakashi. Kakashi raised his eyebrow.

"Why you wear a mask, Kakashi-san?" Iruka asked earnestly, a bit of milk escaping from his mouth and dribbling down his chin.

Kakashi paused.

"Because I'm too handsome for you to handle," he boasted teasingly, remembering a time the older Iruka had asked him the exact same question.

* * *

 _Kakashi felt someone trailing him. His ears pricked, but he kept looking at his book. The footsteps were right behind him now. Kakashi was tense, prepared to act. A hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Kakashi flipped around and threw his assailant to the ground. He dusted himself off and looked at the assailant, who was now in a hole in the ground._

 _"Hello Iruka," Kakashi smiled too innocently._

 _Iruka stumbled to his feet and brushed himself off._

 _"Kakashi."_

 _"Why were you following me?"_

 _"I-I…" Iruka blushed._

 _Kakashi raised an eyebrow._

 _"Um…I wanted to know if you wanted to get some ramen together?" Iruka grinned sheepishly._

 _Kakashi's face was inquisitive._

 _"Okay…why?" he asked._

 _"J-just as friends," Iruka said, his face a bright cherry tomato red._

 _They went to get ramen. Iruka stared intently at Kakashi, waiting. Kakashi made no attempt to start eating until Iruka turned away to cough. Iruka was incredulous. How had Kakashi done that so fast? Kakashi was completely done with his bowl of ramen! He hadn't been able to see Kakashi's face!_

 _Kakashi remembered the old man giving them sake on the house. Iruka's face was tinged pink from happiness and alcohol. He remembered going home with Iruka and roughly throwing Iruka onto the bed. Iruka's long, slender fingers reached up to his face and pulled—_

* * *

"I don't believe you…take off!" demanded Iruka, interrupting Kakashi's stream of thought.

Kakashi smirked.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you!"

Iruka watched attentively as Kakashi slowly drew down his mask.

"Behind this mask is…"

Iruka bit his lip.

"Another mask!" Kakashi smiled.

Iruka's face fell.

"I wanna see your face!" he pouted. "Please please please please please!" he added.

 _'Geez…kids pout about anything don't they…'_ Kakashi thought.

"Nope," said Kakashi. "It's a secret."

Iruka frowned. He sulked the entire rest of the meal.

"Iruka," Kakashi said once Iruka had finished his breakfast.

Iruka did not answer.

"Iruka!" Kakashi barked

Iruka glanced up at him sullenly.

"Let's go on a walk. There's someone I need to talk to."

Begrudgingly, Iruka agreed, refusing to hold Kakashi's hand near the busy roads. He darted in and out of the streets.

"Iruka! Come here, right now!" Kakashi ordered.

Iruka ran further away. Kakashi felt a throb in his temple. He sprinted after Iruka and grabbed his arm.

"Stop running away!" he scolded, causing Iruka to sulk even more. Kakashi did not let go of Iruka's arm even when he screamed. Everyone in the vicinity stared at Kakashi. Kakashi rolled his eyes.

Iruka threw himself to the ground and began screaming and crying. Kakashi felt his patience dwindling. He picked Iruka up, who resisted with all his might.

"Oi! Kakashi Sensei!" came Uzumaki Naruto's voice from behind him.


	4. Stay

**A/N:** _Bit of a longer wait on this chapter. Sorry about that. Enjoy!_

* * *

"Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto shouted again.

"Hi," said Kakashi tensely.

"I wanted to ask—" Naruto stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that Kakashi was holding a writhing toddler.

"Umm…is that…is that…who I think it is?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi sighed a breath of relief that Naruto had held his tongue.

"Yes," Kakashi breathed exasperatedly, "I'm going to meet up with someone, but as you can see Iruka- _kun_ here does not want to go." The last bit was said a bit too sweetly.

Naruto was already talking to Iruka though.

"Hi Iruka-kun. My name is Naruto!"

Iruka giggled.

"I hear you're going to meet someone. Who is it?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know…Kakashi-san didn't tell me!" Iruka said grumpily.

"Oh, how mean of him!" Naruto exclaimed.

"We're going to see Jiraiya," Kakashi told Naruto. He sighed. Now that Naruto was here he was two against one.

"Ah...Ero—uh I mean Jiraiya-sama! How fun!" Naruto shouted.

He looked directly at Iruka and whispered, "I'll race you there!"

Before Kakashi knew it Iruka had slipped out of his arms and was running down the street with Naruto. Kakashi shook his head and blinked. He had no idea Naruto was so good with kids.

 _'Although it makes sense...'_ Kakashi thought ' _Naruto is just one big kid.'_

Kakashi followed after the two.

* * *

Jiraiya sunk into the steaming water of the sauna.

"Ahh how relaxing. Now all I have to do is wait for the pretty women! Hehehe!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Ero-…I mean Jiraiya-sama!" called Naruto.

Jiraiya furrowed his brows. Naruto rarely called him Jiraiya and never called him Jiraiya- _sama_.

Naruto ran up to Jiraiya followed by a panting Iruka. Jiraiya could see Kakashi in the distance.

"What's going on?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well…actually I'm not really sure," Naruto admitted and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hi!" Iruka yelled. "I'm Iruka. What's your name?"

Jiraiya stared at the adorably innocent child that stood in place of the man he knew.

He laughed.

"Hi Iruka-kun. My name is Jiraiya!" he told Iruka and ruffled his hair.

Kakashi approached the sauna.

"Jiraiya."

"Kakashi."

"Let's talk," Kakashi said. "Alone."

Jiraiya frowned.

"Iruka-kun can you play with Naruto for a while?" Kakashi asked.

"Yay!" Iruka shouted. Naruto nodded his head in understanding.

The two ran off, laughing in unison.

Jiraiya looked Kakashi in the eyes and Kakashi explained the situation.

"I don't know," Jiraiya began, "what Jutsu Iruka used. But it's effects should not be permanent. The most it should last is a month. That much I can tell."

Kakashi nodded.

"Kakashi!" Jiraiya barked.

Kakashi took a step back at Jiraiya's sudden aggression.

"Take good care of him."

Kakashi turned around without a response and began walking away. Jiraiya's face turned somber as he watched Kakashi's figure fade into the distance.

* * *

Naruto and Iruka tumbled in the grass of the park. They both laughed excitedly.

"Naruto-san! Naruto-san! Push me on the swings please!" Iruka begged.

Naruto agreed to push Iruka. The sun began to set and the sky was streaked with orange and pink.

"I wonder where Kakashi-san is…it's kinda dark…" Iruka shivered.

Naruto raised his eyebrows. He wrapped Iruka in his orange sweatshirt.

"Let's go find him, Iruka-kun," Naruto said.

They walked the cobblestone paths of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The first stars began to appear, but Kakashi did not.

"I wonder," sniffed Iruka, "if Kakashi-san forgot me…"

Naruto sensed Iruka's sadness.

"Don't worry Iruka-kun! Kakashi is my Sensei and he's always late to everything!" Naruto smiled in the hopes of cheering the young boy up.

They arrived at Kakashi's place and knocked on the door. Naruto rapped on the door three times. Kakashi answered the door to find Iruka asleep in Naruto's arms, bundled up in an orange sweatshirt far too big for him.

"Kakashi Sensei—" Naruto started, but Kakashi had already gathered Iruka up in his arms. Kakashi looked at Naruto.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Kakashi said.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Naruto said, looking pointedly at Iruka.

"I know."

"Kakashi Sensei?"

"Hm?"

"Where were you?"

"Good night, Naruto."

"...Good night, Sensei."

Naruto closed the door gently behind him. Iruka stirred slightly, but his eyes stayed closed. Kakashi carried him to his bedroom. He laid him down in his bed and covered him in his blankets. Kakashi was walking out of the room when he heard Iruka's voice ask:

"Kakashi-san…will you sing me song?"

Again, Kakashi felt like the floor beneath him had vanished. His heart fluttered wildly like a butterfly desperately beating inside a cocoon. He took a deep breath. Kakashi felt dizzy. He remembered his father coming in after a long day and sitting beside him. He remembered the soothing tones his father used to read to him, how when he sang he hit every note perfectly. He thought of all the songs his father sang to him; all the little stories. So many little things that he remembered about his father. But that was long gone.

"No."

"Please, Kakashi-san?" The last word was a whimper.

"No. Go to sleep."

Kakashi could hear gentle sniffling, but still walked out of the room and to his bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face and stared at his reflection.

 _'I need help,'_ he thought, _'I can't do this. Why did Tsunade choose me for this? I can't do this.'_

Kakashi peeked into Iruka's bedroom. Iruka was now sound asleep, sucking gently on his own thumb. Kakashi felt like his neck was on fire. Iruka looked so calm, so innocent. It was a strange sight to see the traumas of the past gone. Kakashi perched in the windowsill for a moment. He cast one last cursory glance at Iruka, and jumped out of the window.

* * *

"Hokage-sama"

"Hatake, what are you doing here?!" A Kunai flew through the air, stabbing the wall behind Kakashi. Tsunade's hair was disheveled and it was clear that she had been sleeping on her pile of books.

"I need…help," Kakashi admitted.

"Where's Iruka?!" Tsunade demanded to know.

Kakashi held his hands up as if in surrender.

"He's sleeping."

"You still shouldn't just leave him! What if he wakes up?!" Tsunade was still shouting.

"Tsunade-sama…I am not a good fit for this mission," Kakashi stared Tsunade down, his eye daring her to argue.

"Kakashi, you are the best-suited for this mission. We have agreed on it."

"But why?! What makes you think I could take care of a toddler?"

"It can't be that hard, Kakashi. Just think about your own childhood.

That made Kakashi snort.

"Do you want me to kill him?!"

"For fuck's sake Kakashi, do as I say! You are going to be taking care of Iruka, even if you don't want to be. You agreed to it."

"But—"

"Hatake! No more." Tsunade pointed at the door, indicating that Kakashi had overstayed his welcome.

* * *

Kakashi felt like screaming. He could not do this! He was going to ruin Iruka, poor, sweet, innocent Iruka because he was incompetent when it came to toddlers. Kakashi crawled into bed, so distracted by thought that he did not notice the small bundled up toddler in his bed.

He jumped and drew a Shuriken, but then took a step back. Iruka was gently snoring. Kakashi sighed and attempted to scoop Iruka up into his arms.

"No….wanna stay with daddy," Iruka mumbled.

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.

He tried to pick Iruka up again, but Iruka resisted.

"Wanna stay here with you, daddy," Iruka murmured.

Kakashi's heart was beating like a drum line. He stared at the small body on his bed. He took a few deep breaths to ease his nerves.

A small hand reached out and clamped around his wrist.

"Stay..."


End file.
